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John Jansen (writer, director, editor)
"mainly ETC." marks the first feature length film from John Jansen.
Growing up in Houston, as a sophomore in high school he completed his first Super-8 film "Julius Caesar in the Twilight Zone" for an English class project. He then ventured into various movie genres including the cop movie "Magnum", the crime thriller "Invader" and the sci-fi comedy "The Range Riders". After years of Super-8 cut and splice editing, he then graduated to 16mm and produced a series of short films including "Cycles" and "The Bench". Also active in theatre acting and directing, he continued to balance both mediums, using resources from both for future projects. Combining an equal interest in writing, directing, photography and editing, Jansen often works as a one-man studio to complete his films. After moving to San Francisco and seeking out the talents of friends, local actors and "anyone willing", he has been able to assemble together a local company of Players up for the difficult task of guerrilla film making.
In 1994, after producing a series of documentary and experimental videos, he wrote the screenplays for "modern knife" and "mainly ETC.", which would become the first two films in a proposed trilogy based around the discovery of the self, the soul and the spirit. "modern knife" was shot on Super-8 film in anamorphic widescreen in 57 days over a three year period and due to the spiraling cost of film processing and transfers, still awaits to be edited for a Fall 2000 release. In the interval, Jansen put together a cast for "mainly ETC." and shot that film on Digital Video in 27 days on location in San Francisco and Seattle over three months in the fall of 1999. Together both films provide a dramatic canvas where the concept of crossing the rubicon affects the daily choices of characters, with no turning back. The third film in the series is due sometime in 2001.
An avid fan of cinema, his tastes and influences cover filmmakers as diverse as Krzysztof Kieslowski, Richard Linklater, Stanley Kubrick, Joel and Ethan Coen, Sam Peckinpah, Steven Soderbergh, John Cassavetes, Michael Mann, Orson Welles, Woody Allen, David Cronenberg, Sergio Leone, Martin Scorsese, Todd Haynes, Terry Gilliam, Atom Egoyan, Terrence Malick, David Fincher and John Sayles.
Also an active screenwriter, he has completed several screenplays including the action/adventure "COP.THIEF.DRIVER", the film-noir "Down-Twisted", the suspense-thriller "Red Piranha", the romantic/adventure "Shadow of the Butterfly", the snobs vs. slobs comedy "Videoshack" and "The Ploesti Run", a true story of the dramatic air ground battle of World War II.
Jansen's future projects as a filmmaker include "Absolutely Equestrian", an insiders look into the billion dollar Arabian Horse Industry, spotlighting the breeders, trainers, owners and grooms who pull the strings behind the scenes to create a natural bred champion.
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